Waechter
NEAL'S POLITICAL OPERATIVE -BOB WAECTHER ANNOUNCES DeSANTIS TO APPOINT FORMER SHERIFF TOM KNIGHT TO REPLACE DECEASED SARASOTA COUNTY COMMISSIONER DETERT
THIS BELOW ARTICLE IS RECENTLY WRITTEN AS A REMINDER OF WHO DeSANTIS IS ABOUT TO APPOINT
KNIGHT AFTER RETIRING WAS RUN OUT OF E.D OF FIRST STEP DETOX OF SARASOTA AFTER ONLY FIVE MONTHS DUE TO INABILITY TO HANDLE ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES
KNIGHT JUST ANOTHER PAT NEAL ESTABLISHMENT POLITICAL HACK
Knight and Williams
DID KNIGHT AND WILLIAMS PROTECT CHILD MOLESTER NOT CHILDREN?
By Jon Susce
Iorio
Sarasota County Sheriff Sgt. Chris Iorio retired after over 30 years of distinguished service on behalf of Sarasota County law enforcement. For 18 of those years Iorio was the lead investigative detective in bringing over 100 sexual abuse cases to trial, which were successfully prosecuted.
Iorio has taken an early retirement, leaving $130,000 in the drop program on the table, ending a most successful law enforcement career.
Since leaving the Sheriff's Department Iorio has made some serious accusations against Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight and local Judge Charles Williams, which concern the deterioration of the prosecution of sex offenders since Knight became Sheriff.
Knight, who had a very undistinguished career with the Florida Highway Patrol, was the fourth chce of local "Pay to Play" developer Pat Neal and his cronies, who were looking to find someone to replace the retiring Sheriff Bill Balkwell in 2010. After gaining Neal's approval at a meeting with Neal at Neal's office in Lakewood Ranch, Knight was assigned to Neal's political operative Bob Waechter and Eric "The Prince of Dirty Dark PAC Money" Robinson.i.
Waechter, who was once convicted of election fraud, told Knight to pick a couple of street corners, smile and wave a sign at the passing cars and that he and Eric "The Prince of Dark PAC Money" Robinson would do the rest to make him Sheriff.
Neal with one of his local political hacks--former Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight
Knight was elected and re-elected, thus becoming another local political hack in the pockets of "Pay to Play" developers like Neal, Randy Benderson, Carlos Beruff, etc.
IORIO DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE NON REPORTING OF SEXUAL ASSULTS ON UNDERAGE CHILDREN
Iorio stated that he was deeply concerned about the local Sarasota Justice System. This concern was sparked when Sheriff Knight and local Circuit Judge Charles Williams made statements asserting that Iorio had no legal authority to report serious sexual assault charges against an underage child.
Iorio also voiced concern when Sarasota County Attorney Frederick Elbrecht would argue in defense of Knight in a Sarasota County Courtroom, that Iorio had no legal authority to report serious sexual assault charges against an underage child. Elbrecht is former local States Attorney and presently the Sarasota County lead attorney.
Porter
Iorio's concerns have been intensfied since it has been reported with the arrest and conviction of the self appointed Bishop Henry Porter of grooming children for his sexual pleasure at his Downtown Sarasota school and church. Iorio's concerns are that for over 40 years no one at the school, church or local law enforcement agencies, who conducted three investigatins did not report the molesting and raping of children to the public.
IORIO "DEPUTY OF THE YEAR"
In 2001, Iorio was named “Deputy of the Year” by the sheriff’s office, for the large number of cases he handled as lead investigator, resulting in convictions in over 100 sexual abuse cases.
IORIO BROUGHT NUMEROUS CHILD MOLESTERS TO JUSTICE
Iorio was lead investigator assigned to the 1997 Sheila Bellush murder case, which led to the arrest and conviction of Jose Luis Del Toro, Jr. and three others. Iorio was featured on three national television shows and in a book written about this infamous case.
Iorio was also one of lead detectives in the murder of 11-year-old Carlie Brucia, committed by Joseph P. Smith. Iorio was the first law enforcement officer called to investigate the hideous crime. DIT
It was Iorio who led the investigation against Arthur Childs, who was convicted of molesting boys twice in Sarasota. The Sarasota convictions brought a total of four life sentences plus 45 years to a man who already had spent nearly a decade of his life behind bars for molesting children.
"This helps ensure that this man will never, ever get out of prison again and victimize more children," prosecutor Craig Schaeffer said after the sentencing. Childs was arrested in October 2000 after nine boys told Sarasota County sheriff's deputies that they had been fondled and sodomized while visiting his house.
In the summer of 2000 alone, Childs had more than two dozen boys over to his house for swim parties and sleepovers, detectives say.
Sarasota sheriff's detective Chris Iorio called Childs "the most serious pedophile I've ever investigated. There are hundreds of kids he's been exposed to, and I'm sure most haven't come forward."
Among many other sexual predator cases, Iorio led the investigation which led to the conviction of Patrick Durban on sexual battery charges of children under 12, and up to 25 years of age. Durban was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Bell with Knight
IORIO LEAVES POSITION LEADING INVESTIGATING CHILD MOLESTATION IN DISPUTE WITH BELL
Iorio had left his position, as lead detective investigating child molestation cases in a policy dispute with SOS Captain Jeff Bell. Iorio strongly believed Bell's proposed change would put detectives lives in danger, while investigating child abuse by exposing them to child molesters they put in jail. Iorio requested to go on patrol duty, but was refused and assigned to Sarasota County Courthouse duty.
While serving at Sarasota County Courthouse, local States Attorneys had requested Knight return Iorio to his former position as the lead detective in bringing charges against child molesters.
CHILD ABUSE PROSECUTION SUFFERED UNDER KNIGHT'S LEADERSHIP AS KNIGHT BURIED HIS HEAD IN SAND ON CHILD ABUSE ENFORCEMENT
Hallisey
Iorio states that on numerous occasions it was difficult to observe how experienced and very able local States Attorneys were unable to successfully complete sexual abuse cases due to the failure of law enforcement officers to present them with winning cases. Iorio had stated he was willing to return and there was an opening.
The individual that Knight assigned to replace Iorio was Sgt. Chris Hallisey, who had been arrested for doctor shopping. Hallisey was arrested on three felony counts of withholding information from a practitioner and lied to doctors, obtaining nearly 400 painkillers illegally. On his arrest Hallisey had over 500 oxycodone pills in his possession.
Hallisey, had signed affidavits with the physicians — Drs. Lynn Fassy, Virind Gupta, John Choy and Fabian Ramos — saying that he would not visit another doctor for painkillers, but Hallisey did just that. Incredibly, the three felony charges were dropped on Hallisey and he was allowed to resign from the Sheriff's Department with full pension and retirement benefits.
KNIGHT REFUSES TO BRING IORIO BACK TO PROSECUTE CHILD MOLESTERS
Unfortunately for children being molested and fortunately for child molesters, Knight indicated he was not interested in Iorio returning to his former position.
Locke
IORIO REPORTS ALLEGED CHILD ABUSE BY A KNIGHT CAPTAIN
Iorio could have continued his distinguished career with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Department by going along to get along and picking up a paycheck. But according to Iorio his career with the local Sheriff's Department was essentially over when he reported a sexual abuse allegation of a minor child involving one of Knight's high ranking County Sheriff official, Captain Ronald Locke.
Iorio said he had no choice but to report the alleged sexual abuse, it would have been illegal not to do so: “If you overhear a crime against a child, believe it to be accurate and don’t report it, you commit a misdemeanor.”
Williams
Iorio learned about the alleged sexual abuse while in charge of supervising 15 deputies at the Sarasota Courthouse. According to Sarasota Herald Tribune (SHT) investigative reporter Lee Williams, Iorio and others were informed that Locke, "was accused of molesting an underage girl during the mid-1990s when he was a 25-year-old sheriff’s deputy."
Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight, "Today we say farewell to Special Operations Captain Ron Locke after 25 years of dedicated service to the sheriff's office. Congratulations Captain and happy retirement!"
The Williams article, which mentioned Knight's promotion of Locke and failure to investigate Locke ended Knight's future political career moving forward.
Having had years of experience investigating child sexual abuse allegations, Iorio believed the allegations concerning Locke needed to be investigated. Iorio believed it was his responsibility to report any serious allegation of sexual abuse, thus he informed the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) of the sexual abuse allegations.
ALLEGED SEXUAL ABUSE TOLD TO FOUR SHERIFF DEPUTY'S
According to a FDLE investigative report, Iorio along with SOS Deputy William Herman, Deputy Dean Pappas and Sgt. Mark Brewer were informed by Deputy Kevin Suggs, who used to live with Locke, that Locke had a sexual relationship with an underage girl in the mid 1990’s while he and Locke were roommates.
In the FDLE report it was established that the young girl, according to Suggs, would frequent the home "many times and would hang out with Locke when he (Suggs) left to work the night shift from 10pm to 6am." In the FDLE report both the alleged victim’s mother and Suggs voiced concerns about the teenager’s many visits to the home.
LOCKE INVOLVED TEENAGER IN UNDERCOVER STINGS WITHOUT APPROVAL
The FDLE report stated that the alleged victim's mother informed the agents that her daughter began visiting the Locke/Suggs home between the age of 15 and16.
The report wrote that Locke got the young girl involved with the DARE program and to the mother’s extreme displeasure, got the teenager involved doing undercover work to buy alcohol as an underage teenager, without her knowledge.
TEENAGER ALLEGES LOCKE IMPREGNATED HER
After graduating from high school, the alleged victim left home in July of that year and a few months later she informed her mother that she was pregnant. The mother told the FDLE that her daughter believed Locke was in love with her and that he would leave his wife to be with her.
LOCKE ADMITS HAVING SEX WITH TEENAGER
The mother confronted Locke as being the father of his daughter's expected child, which he denied to the FDLE agents. Locke did admit he had consensual sex with the girl, but claimed she was 18. Locke was married during the time period that he admitted having consensual sex with the girl.
ALLEGED VICTIM'S MOTHERS STATES LOCKE PAID FOR ABORTION
In the FDLE report, the mother told investigators that during a confrontation with Locke, he stated if the young girl decided to have the child he would not leave his wife and would deny being the father. The alleged victim then chose to have an abortion.
According to the FDLE report, Locke went to the mother's place of employment and gave her approximately $250 cash to pay for the abortion.
ALLEGED VICTIM NEITHER DENIES OR CONFIRMS ABUSE
FDLE investigators interviewed the alleged victim, now 35, but she was reluctant to discuss the relationship with Locke. She told investigators, “I’m not going to say I’m not a victim, I’m not going to say I am.”
“I obviously, um, the allegations did begin when I was a minor, um I did know him when I was a minor,” said the woman, who ended the interview with investigators at that point."
LOCKE USED SHERIFF DATABASE ILLEGALLY
The report says that Locke on at least three occasions used the sheriff’s office driver and vehicle information database to look up driver’s license information and pictures of the mother and daughter.
According to Williams article in the SHT concerning this alleged sexual abuse of a minor: "Using that system to track the alleged victim and her mother, using a juvenile in an undercover operation without the parent’s permission, and Locke’s sexual relationship with the alleged victim would constitute policy violations at most police agencies, said Walter Zalisko, founder of Fort Myers-based PMCI Group, a police operation consulting group."
IT IS IMPLAUSIBLE THAT FDLE DROPED CASE AGAINST LOCKE
What is difficult to understand, is that after interviewing a dozen people, the FDLE was unable to establish “probable cause that Ron Locke had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a minor,” according to a memo from then former Chief Assistant State Attorney Ed Brodsky.
KNIGHT REFUSES INTERNAL INVESTIGATION
Equally incredible, is that Knight stated there will be no internal affairs investigation unless the woman cooperates, prompting Iorio to state, "Knight is more interested in protecting child abusers more than protecting children."
LOCKE HAS RETIRED AFTER 25 YEARS WITH FULL PENSION AND RETIREMENT BENEFITS AND IORIO BECAME TARGET OF KNIGHT HARASSMENT TACTICS
Shortly after the investigation was concluded, Iorio became the target of the retaliatory tactics that Knight employs against anyone who questions this reportedly highly egocentric, hot tempered local sheriff.
As an example, Iorio was suspended for two days without pay for failing to stop two deputies from snickering and making obscene hand gestures during an awards presentation last month.
A Knight flunky, Col. Steve Burns said internal affairs investigators sustained a “neglect of duty” complaint against Iorio. “He was reading the citations he authored with his back to the rest of the squad while a couple guys were cutting up,” Burns said. “He (Iorio) didn’t take action to stop it. It went on for too long.”
Iorio initiated a lawsuit against Knight for being suspended for two days without pay, but Iorio's case was thrown out by Wiliams. According to Williams, Iorio had no legal authority to report serious sexual assault charges against an underage child.
Jon Susce
Working To Keep Us Informed About What They Don't Want you to Know.
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